Sports news from Los Angeles and beyond

Kings send Hickey to Manchester, Ducks send two to Syracuse

The Kings assigned defenseman Thomas Hickey to Manchester of the American Hockey League, another twist in the road for the fourth overall pick in the 2007 entry draft.

Hickey is still only 21 and defensemen often take longer to develop than forwards do, so it’s not fair to label him a failure. But he doesn’t seem to have made huge leaps forward, either.

The move leaves the Kings with seven healthy defensemen plus Matt Greene, who is recovering from shoulder surgery and is expected to miss the first month of the season. It’s good news, though, for Jake Muzzin, who was signed as a free agent in January. He gets to stay, along with Rob Scuderi, Jack Johnson, Peter Harrold, Davis Drewiske, Willie Mitchell and Drew Doughty.

The Kings also put forward John Zeiler on waivers. If he clears waivers, he will go to Manchester on Saturday.

Ducks defensemen Danny Syvret and Brett Festerling cleared waivers and were assigned to Syracuse of the AHL.